Swiss and international certifications
Recertification - Financial techniques: an opportunity to link theory and practice. Interview with Yves Maeder
November 7, 2025
Yves Maeder is a lecturer at the ISFB and shares his experience as a trainer in the Financial Techniques recertification seminar. A self-employed manager for many years, he provides participants with a concrete, interactive approach, based on practice and exchange, to link theory to real-life situations.
Yves Maeder, you are a lecturer at the ISFB, where you teach the Financial Techniques recertification seminar. Can you tell us about your experience as a lecturer?
Since I didn't follow the traditional academic route, the side roads I had to take led me to pursue my training while working. This gave me a taste of the benefits of training provided by people who were themselves active in their field. This practical aspect convinced me and, many years later, I in turn seized the opportunity to pass on my knowledge, alongside my professional activity. As a self-employed manager, contact with other managers in the same business not only enables me to share certain knowledge, but above all fosters exchanges between participants and encourages them to talk to each other. I'm convinced that theoretical concepts are much better assimilated when they are backed up by practical examples, and when they are the result of exchange and interactivity.
Can you tell us about your academic and professional background?
After graduating from business school in Neuchâtel, driven by the desire to learn a second language, I accepted the first job I was offered and, somewhat by chance, started work at Credit Suisse in Zurich, in the back office of the options exchange (Eurex today). It was shortly before the 1987 stock market crash, and the experience was a wake-up call for me. I was passionate about finance. As I mentioned earlier, I went on to complete my job training at ESCEA in Lausanne, now the Haute Ecole de Gestion du Canton de Vaud, and then rounded off my studies with a financial analyst diploma (CFPI/AZEK) in Geneva, to acquire the theory I needed to advise and guide my clients. I've constantly sought to improve my skills, and even today I'm interested in all the developments and changes that mark the finance professions. Having worked as an independent asset manager for almost 15 years, this experience encourages me more than ever to listen to others and be open to exchange - qualities that I strive to emphasize during my lectures at the ISFB.
What are the main difficulties encountered by banking and wealth management professionals today that make this type of skills update necessary?
Change, no doubt. And given the constant evolution of this field over the last few years, it's essential to make the effort to keep constantly up to date. Doing so when you're passionate about it is a pleasure, and sharing your pleasure is inspiring. By way of example, the introduction of SAQ certification, followed by the recertification process required to maintain this accreditation, led many portfolio managers to discover, then become interested in and finally passionate about behavioral finance. Continuing education also often enables them to rediscover certain facets of their profession with which they were previously unfamiliar. Recertification is not just about updating skills, it's also an opportunity to explore new ones and develop others.
The ISFB's Financial Techniques recertification seminar will begin shortly (25.11.2025). How can this program offer concrete solutions? What, in your opinion, are the strengths and specific features that make this program so rich and valuable?
This re-certification seminar in Financial Techniques enables participants to keep their knowledge up to date in a constantly evolving field. To achieve this, it is often necessary to consolidate certain fundamentals before going any further. The use of centralized management in many institutions, for example, has meant that certain fundamental portfolio management concepts are no longer practised by asset managers on a regular basis. At the same time, the increased sophistication of clients, who thanks to digitalization now have far more information at their disposal than ever before, is more important. As a result, it has become essential for asset managers to continually refresh their knowledge. A recertification seminar offers an ideal opportunity to link theory to practice, through exchange and interactivity. It's a simple, effective and enjoyable way to keep up to date.
